Domestic oil-burner installation



Feb. 15 1927.

W. W. WILLIAMS DOMESTIC OIL BURNER INSTALLATION Filed Aug. 8, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR WALT E R W'W ILLIAM5 ATTORNEY 1 617,470 1927' w. w. WILLIAMS DOMESTIC OIL BURNER INSTALLATION Filed Aug. 8, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig-5..

INVENTOR WALTE R W-WILLIAMS ATTORN EY ill) Patented Feb. 15, 1927.

pNITED 's'r TEs WALTER W. WILLIAMS, 0! lB LOOMIN ON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAMS OIL-O- MA'IIG HEATING CORPORATION, OF BLOOMIINGTON, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ELINOIS.

nomnsrro o BURNER rus'mrmrron,

Application me An at a, 3925. Serial No. 48,959."

This invention relates to improvement in oil burner installations and more particularly to the installation of an oil burner to be employed in connection w1th the ordinary furnaces used for heating the rooms of dwellings.

Most of the domestic oil burners now on the market are readil attached to the heating furnace of most wellings with but little alteration to the furnace, and to operate such an oil burner it is necessary to provide a tank for containing the supply of llquid fuel, which most city ordinances require to be placed under ground and at a distance from the dwelling inwhich the burner is located. This requires a pumping means of some character for transferring the liquid fuel from the tank to the burner.

It is an object of this invention to provide an installation of this character which will efliciently transfer the liquid fuel from the tank to the burner as the fuel is consumed and at the same time provide means for maintaining the li uid fuel within the storage tank and as delivered to the burner at a constant temperature.

A preferred embodiment of this invent1on is illustrated in a diagrammatical view on Figure 1 of the accompanying sheet of drawing with the individual parts of the installation in side elevation.

Figure 2 is a similar view with parts broken away illustrating the detail construotion of parts of improvedconstruction.

Fig. 3 is a similar View of a modified form of the invention.

While the embodiment of this invention illustrates an oil burner unit constructed in accordance with my prior Patent, No. 1,451,798, dated April 29, 1924, and prior pending application, Serial No. 657,178, filed August 13, 1923, and while the means for transferring the-oil from the storage tank to the oil burning unit is constructed in accordance with my prior application Serial No. 45,978, filed July 25, 1925, it is to be understood that an othercil burning unit which receives liquid fuel from a pumping unit or interior supply tank, might be emp y s the see? was??? W th ut dep twith two enclosed chambers ing from thescope of this invention, and pumpingunits other than illustrated, which deliver liquid fuel from the tank to the burner and are provided with an over-flow leading back to the tank, might be substituted in this installation for the pumping unit illustrated without departing from the scope of this invention.

As s own in Figure 1 the liquid fuel is delivered to the oil burning unit 1 through a pipe 2 leading from a pumping unit to an 011 strainer carried upon the oil burner from which the liquid fuel passes into the oil burning mechanism. In this case the pumping unit is at a higher level than the burner mechanism so that the li uid fuel is conveyed therefrom by the orce of gravity. The pumping unit is preferably constructed anelectric motor 5 adapted to be placed in the circuit with a commercial source of electricity to operate a pump 6 for drawing liq- 'uid fuel from the storage tank 7 through one of the said enclosed chambers 3 and delivering it into the other 4:, from whichit flows by gravity to the oil burner mech anism as the liquid fuel is consumed therein.

It is preferable to provide in the first chamber two stand-pipes which extend from adjacent the top cover of that chamber through the bottom, one of which pipes 8 leads to the liquid fuel storage tank and the other 9 to the intake or suction side of the motor driven pump. It is also preferable to provide inthe other chamber two stand-pipes of similar height which ass through the bottom, with one of said pipes 10 leading to the liquid fuel storage tank, and the other 11 to the discharge side of the motor driven pump. The pipe 2 lead ing from this chamber to the oil burning unit is connected to this latter chamber to receive the liquid fuel from the bottom thereof. It is also preferable to provide the stand-pipe in the first mentioned enclosed 3 and 4 having chamber which leads to the suction line of the pump with a small orifice adjacent the bottom of the chamber, whereby a liquid seal is always. provided, as described in my P r app n Ser l N 4 1. like July 25, 1925, and to rovide the enclosed chamber from which t e liquid fuel is delivered to the oil burner with a float operated electric switch mechanism 12 in circuit with the motor and the commercial source of electricity whereby when the level of the liquid fuel in the chamber reaches the height adjacent the upper cover thereof the circuit willbe broken and when the liquid fuel has been discharged therefrom to the burner mechanism reducing the level of the fuel therein to a oint adjacent the bottom of the chamber, t e electric circuit to the motor Wlll be closed and the pump operated to refill the said chamber.

In this form of installation it is preferable to provide the pipe 2 leading from the discharge chamber to the oil burning unit of less capacity than the stand-pipes in this enclosed chamber 4 leading from the pump and to the liquid fuel'storage tank, so that should the motor continue to operate the pump after the u per level of fluid is reached, which on er ordinary conditions would break .the circuit to the motor, a circulation of the liquid fuel will be caused from the other chamber 3 through the overflow pipe 10 into the storage tank 7 and from the storage tank to the first chamber 3 for a purpose hereinafter described. As

the liquid fuel storage tank is usually located underground and at a distance from the pumping unit which is usually installed in the same room with the oil burning mechanism, the temperature of the liquid fuel in the tank will be greatly lowered during cold weather and will thicken or become viscous in accordance with the temperature and ing unit most advantageous for the consist ency necessary for the efiicient burning of the fuel and for causing a circulation of the fuel from the tank through the pumping unit and back to the tank again when the temperature of the fuel in the tank decreases below a certain predetermined degree. In order to maintain the desired temperature of the liquid fuel within the en- I closed chambers of the pumping unit, it is preferable to circulate through these chambers either steam or hot water, whichever is most desirable, from the domestic heating furnace 13, which, for example, is presumed in the installation shown to be a hot water heater. A pipe 14 leads from the lower portion of the hot water heater to the underside of each ofthe enclosed chambers of the pumping unit and enters into an enlarged pipe or cyllindrical casing 15 contained with m each 0 amber passing out from the top of said enlargement or casin through the top of said chambers, and bac by a return pipe 16 to the upper portion of the hot water heater, whereby a constant circulation of hot water at the desired temperature is circulated through the enclosed chambers of the pumping unit, which will transmit the heat therefrom to the surrounding liquid fuel in each chamber.

The circulation between the pumping unit and storage tank is accomplished by providclosed upper end and manhole cover to the intake stand-pipe of the first inclosecl chamber of the pumping unit, and by providing a thermostat 18 having a thermal element 19 suspended within the interior of the smaller cylinder so constructed as to open and close an electric switch in circuit. between the poles of the pump operating motor 5 and the source of commercial current which thermostat acts to close the electric circuit to operate the pump when the temperature of the liquid fuel within the smaller cylinder contained in the storage tank reaches a predetermined low degree, and when the temperature of said liquid fuel increases to a certain predetermined high degree to break said circuit.

It is preferable to construct this thermostat of the type which comprises a Bourdon or pressure tube and the thermostatic element 19 suspended within the liquid fuel in the form of a closed cylinder or sphere having a tube leading therefrom to the said Bourdon tube and containing a thermostatic liquid which expands and contracts in accordance with the temperature of liquid fuel causing the free end of the Bourdon tube to move in and out as the pressure in the tube causes the Bourdon tube to expand or contract with this n'iovcment of the free end of the Bourdon tube operatively connected to a snap movement mechanism for throwing a mercury tube switch to depress one or the other ends of said mercury tube, whereby the mercury within the tube makes or breaks the electric circuit through two terminals entering adjacent each other and to one end of the tube, which terminals are connected by le ds to the ommercial source of elecoil burning unit.

tricity and one pole of the motor whereby the motor will be energized upon closing the circuit to operate the pump independently of the float control switch mechanism of the pumping unit. If desired, electric heating coils 20 could be substituted, as shown in Figure 3, for the hot water or steam heated cylindrical casings 15 within each of said c ambers 3 and 4 and placed in circuit with the thermostat and commercial source of electricity, whereby the heat coils would be energized whenever the temperature in the fuel storage tank reaches the lower limit of the thermostat and remain energized until thecircuit is broken by the thermostat. By this means the temperature of the li uid fuel, both in the pumping unit and the uel storage tank, will be automatically maintained irrespective of the operation of the The above described construction and installation provides a circulation between the pump unit and tank which will be established whenever the temperature of the liquid fuel within the tank reaches a certain predetermined low degree and terminate whenever the temperature of the liquid fuel reaches a certain higher predetermined degree.

What I' claim is:

1. A li uid fuel burner installation comprising a iquid fuel burningmechanism, a liquid fuel storage tank at a distance therefrom and means for transferringsaid liquid fuel from the tank to the burning mechanism, said means including an electric motor driven pump, a liquid fuel receptacle above and adjacent the said burning mechanism, adapted to supply fuel therefrom to the burning mechanism as it is consumed therein, means within the said rece tacle actuated by the level of the liquid el therein to make and break the motor circuit to operate the pump to transfer fuel from the tank as the liquid in the receptacle descends to a predetermined level, an over-flow pipe from the receptacle to the tank, and means independent of the level of the liquid in the receptacle to open and close the motor circuit to operate the pump to circulate the liquid fuel through the tank and receptacle, said means actuated by the variations in temperature of the liquid fuelin the storage tank.

2. A li uid fuel burner installation comprising a iquid fuel burning mechanism, a liquid fuel storage tank at a distance therefrom and means for transferring said liquid fuel from the tank to the burning mechanism, said means including an electric motor driven pump, a liquid fuel receptacle above and adjacent the said burning mechanism, adapted to supply fuel therefrom to the burning mechanism as it is consumed therein, means within the said rece tacle actuated by the level of the liqui fuel therein to makeand break the motor circuit to operate the pump to transfer fuel from the tank as the liquid in the receptacle de-' scends to a predetermined level, means to increase the temperature of the liquid fuel in the receptacle, an over-flow pipe from the receptacle to the tank, and means independent of the level of the liquid in the fuel receptacle to close the motor circuit to operate the pump to circulate the liquid fuel through the tank and receptacle, sald means actuated b the variations in temperature of the liquid fuel in the storage tank.

ZhA liquid fuel burner installation compr1s 1ng a liquid fuel burning mechanism, a llquld fuel storage tank at a distance therefrom and means for transferring said liquid fuel from the tank to the burning mechanism, said means including an electric motor driven ump, a liquid fuel receptacle above and a jacent the said burning mechanism, adapted to supply fuel therefrom to the burning mechanism as it is consumed therein, means within the said receptacle actuated by the level of the liquid fuel therein to make and break the motor circuit to 0perate the pump to transfer fuel from the tank as the liquid in the receptacle descends to a predetermined level, means to increase the temperature of the liquid fuel in the re ceptacle, an over-flow pipe from the rece tacle to the tank, means lndependent of t e level of the liquid in the fuel receptacle to open and close the motor circuit to operate the pump to circulate the liquid fuel through 100 the tank and receptacle actuated by the variations in temperature of the liquid fuel in the storage tank, said means comprising a thermostatin circuit with said motor and source of electricity having a thermal ele- 105 ment Within the storage tank.

4., A liquid fuel burner installation comprising a liquid fuel burning mechanism, a

liquid fuel storage tank at a distance therefrom and means for transferring said liquid fuel from the tank to the burning mechanism said means including an electric motor riven pump, a liquid fuel receptacle above and a acent the said burning mechanism, adapte to supply fuel therefrom to the burning mechanlsm' as it is consumed therein, means within the said receptacle actuated by the level of the liquid fuel therein to make and break the motor circuit to operate the pump to transfer fuel from the tank as the liquid in the receptacle descends to a predetermined level, means to increase the temperature of the liquid fuel in the receptacle, an over-flow pipe from the rece tacle to the tank, means independent of t e level of the liquid in the fuel receptacle to open and close the motor circuit to operate the pump to circulate the liquid fuel through the tank and receptacle actuated by the variations in temperature of the liquid fuel in the storage tank, said means comprising a ing through the closed end of the cylinder thermostat in circuit with said motor and and discharging therein and the suction ipc source of electricity having a thermal elefor transporting the li uid from the tan to 10 ment within the storage tank, a smaller cylthe receptacle passing t rough .the closed end 5 inder opened at one end within the storage of said cylinder and terminated adjacent the tank surrounding said thermal element havopen end thereof. 7 ing the over-flow from the receptacle pass- WALTER WKWILLIAMS. 

